Or Forever Hold Your Peace
by JodithGrace
Summary: Sequel to Slayer In The City S/B of course but also D/R. D/R? Read it and find out!
1. Default Chapter

"So how do you like it

Or Forever Hold Your Peace

By JodithGrace

I don't own any of these characters except the ones I made up myself, and they pretty much have minds of their own anyway. The rest are owned by Joss Whedon and the WB and UPN. I merely toy with them for my own amusement.

February 2009 Sunnydale, CA

"So what do you think?" 

Anya spun slowly showing off the black sequined gown. Low cut in front and almost indecent in back, it was truly magnificent, and fit her newly slim figure like a glove. Xander swallowed. Even after 7 years of marriage, and two children, she was still the sexiest, most beautiful woman he had ever seen. However…

He sighed, "Anya, sweetheart. That dress is gorgeous, and You're gorgeous, but…"

"But?"

"Well, according to Martha Stewart, it's just not considered good form for wedding guests to outshine the bride. Plus Buffy said that it's just going to be a small private ceremony, in a judge's office, not to mention that black just isn't a wedding color..." he trailed off waiting for the explosion. Anya had been so moody these last few months.

"I thought that black was perfectly appropriate, considering that it's Spike," Anya snapped. Then she brightened, "Do you really think I'd outshine Buffy? I guess that wouldn't be very polite." She looked sadly down at the dress.

Whew, thought Xander, I dodged that bullet! Thank goodness for Martha Stewart, Anya's goddess.

"But I don't have to return it do I? I'm sure I could wear it somewhere." She asked hopefully.

From where he was standing, Xander couldn't quite make out the numbers on the price tag hanging from the gown. However, he could see that there were four digits before the decimal, and the first wasn't a one.

"Uh, Anya, sweetheart, have you by any chance been nominated for an Oscar?"

"What?"

"Or possible an Emmy, or one of those Broadway things? That dress is too fancy for the MTV Video Awards. Maybe a Grammy?"

"All right Xander. I get the point. There is no occasion in our drab meaningless lives fancy enough for me to wear this dress. I will return it."

"I'm sorry honey. I know we don't have a very glamorous life. And you've been stuck here at home since Shasha was born. But tomorrow we're going to New York. And that will be fun won't it?"

Anya sighed. Xander came over and took her in his arms, "Hey, I've always wanted to kiss a woman in a slinky black dress like this."

Anya returned his kisses but then pulled away with a mischievous smile, "If we mess this dress up, I won't be able to return it."

Xander pulled away, and hastily smoothed the front of the gown, which had gotten slightly crumpled. "Well, I've got the visual now. We'll save the rest for later. Anyway, I'd better go check on Alex…he's being very quiet." 

"I'll get changed and be down in a minute."

Xander stopped in his son's room to see what junior was up to. The 8-year-old was engrossed in a computer game. This was no surprise to Xander. Practically since was old enough to could sit up, Alex had been addicted to computers. He certainly didn't inherit his brilliance from me, thought Xander. Must have been those strange ex-demon genes. "Hey, big fella. Fifteen more minutes and it's time for bed, okay? Ill be up later to say goodnight."

"Sure, Dad." Alex replied automatically, eyes glued to the screen. 

Xander went and peeked in on Sasha sleeping peacefully in her crib. At four months old, she was the sweetest thing that Xander had ever seen. He tiptoed away and went downstairs.

He plopped down into his recliner and reached for the remote. He was surfing through an assortment of reality programs, when the doorbell rang. It was almost 8-p.m. Willow was supposed to drop off a backpack for Alex to bring on the trip. It was probably her. Still, a lifetime of living in Sunnydale had made him cautious. He peeked through the curtained window in the front door. The visitor wasn't Willow.   
In fact, it was somebody that Xander hadn't seen in many years, and never thought to see again. He hastily opened the front door. The visitor stood in the doorway, looking much as Xander had remembered him. Tall, with sandy hair that flopped carelessly over his Iowa farm boy face. "Riley Finn! My God! This is a total shock! Come in!"

Riley smiled, that boyish appealing grin, "Hey Xander!"

He walked into the foyer, looking around at the attractive home Xander and Anya had built a few years ago. "Nice place!"

"Thanks. I built it myself. Uh...I'm in the construction field these days."

"Yeah," said Riley, " I remember…you were just getting started in that when I…left."

At that moment, Anya came downstairs. "Was that Willow? Oh! Riley Finn!" She frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"Anya!" Xander looked embarrassed, "Is that any way to greet an old friend?" 

"An old friend?" Anya said in a loud stage whisper," If you ask me, he is about seven years too late to be an old friend. However, you are right. He is a guest in our home and I will be polite." She gave Riley her best Magic Box annoying customer smile and went into full hostess mode. "Sit down, Riley. Would you like some lemonade? I make it from actual lemons. There are also many leftovers from dinner."

"Thanks, Anya. I'll have some lemonade. No leftovers, though, I just ate."

"How about some home baked tollhouse cookies? I make them from the recipe that is right on the bag of chocolate chips." She went into the kitchen.

Xander laughed awkwardly. "Since she's been stuck home with the baby, Anya's turned her energies towards cooking. She has been making me these gargantuan meals that even Olaf wouldn't be able to finish!"

"Olaf?" Riley had taken a seat on the sofa.

"Oh, the troll! I guess that was after your time."

"Yeah. I guess I missed a lot." 

"I'll say. All hell kind of broke loose after you took off. We even had another apocalypse. A really nasty one. Not that they are ever fun, really."

"I'm sorry I missed it."

"Hmmm. Well, we could have used your help. I won't lie to you. But I guess you hadda do what you hadda do. All water under the bridge, anyway. I see that Army life has treated you well. You look terrific."

Riley did look terrific. Seven years had hardly made a mark on him. Unlike Xander who had gained a good 20 pounds in the last few years thanks to Anya's cooking.

"Well you look…prosperous." Riley smiled. "A great home, kids?"

"Two; a boy Alex and a new baby girl, Sasha. And my own construction business." Xander beamed. Not bad for a buttmonkey who had never gone to college.

"How's Buffy?" Riley asked abruptly. "I stopped by her house first, but different people were living there. They knew you though. Told me where to find you."

"Oh…those are the Wilsons," said Anya coming into the living room with a tray laden with refreshments. "Really nice couple. Betty and I share the same obstetrician."

"Yes," said Riley absently, "I noticed that she was pregnant. Buffy? "

"Oh. Well, that's a pretty long story. Short version. She's a widow now, living in New York City."

"We're going there tomorrow," spoke up Anya, "Ow! Xander…you stepped on my foot! Oh! For a visit…we're going there for a visit." Anya finished lamely, belatedly realizing that Riley might not be too happy to know that Buffy was about to marry Hostile 17.

"Is she still the Slayer?"

"Well, she's A Slayer, but not THE Slayer. She's retired. Actually, she still works free lance. For an agency." Again a dangerous subject, since Xander didn't know Riley's state of mind these days, and he didn't want to get Buffy's fiancé staked.

Anya sat down on the sofa next to Riley. "Have some cookies! They are excellent. "

Riley took a sip of lemonade, and reached for a cookie. "How about the rest of the gang? Willow, whatshername, Tara? Giles? Uh, Spike?"

"Well, Willow and Tara are still together. They adopted a baby girl from Guatemala. Sorry to say Giles died a couple of years ago. Heart attack. Spike...well, uh he's not here any more. He left Sunnydale years ago."

"Oh. Too bad about Giles. He was a good guy."

Xander felt curiously reluctant to fill him in on all the details of the past seven years. There was something about Riley that was making him slightly nervous. As if he were asking all the dutiful questions, but with an agenda of his own. He was a secret agent after all, thought Xander. "So what brings you to Sunnydale, after all these years?"

"Well, actually, it was Spike that I wanted to talk to. You don't know where he is?"

"Spike?" Xander laughed. "The ungrateful dead? Why would you want to talk to him?"

"I'm on a mission."

"Oh…a secret mission? " Asked Anya eagerly. 

"Not really. I'm looking for his ex-girl friend."

"Harmony?" Anya asked.

"Drusilla, right?" Xander shook his head. This could get sticky.

Riley's eyes flashed. "Yeah. Drusilla. Do you know where she is?"

"What could you possibly want with Drusilla? That bitch is a total psycho."

Riley's eyes flashed again. "She infiltrated one of our installations in Brazil. Turned one of my friends. Made off with some top secret government hardware. I was the one who knew about her connection with Spike, so I volunteered to track her down."

Well that made sense. Perfect sense. Xander knew the story. With the help of Darla, Drusilla had stolen a chip decoder from some secret Government installation and had de-chipped Spike. Fortunately that had turned out to be a blessing instead of the disaster it could have been, but no thanks to either of them. Darla was dust, but according to Buffy, Drusilla had managed to escape, possibly with a little help from Spike. At any rate, her present whereabouts were unknown.

Xander was just about to tell Riley what he knew of the story, when the telephone rang, startling him greatly. Anya had her mouth full of cookie, so Xander jumped up to answer it. "Just a minute, Riley…that's probably Willow."

He picked up the phone in the foyer. "Harris residence."

"Xander." It was Willow.

"Hey Will. I thought you were coming over. You'll never guess who is sitting in our living room even as we speak!"

"Xander, listen, something horrible has happened." 

"What?" He had that sinking feeling he always got right before things went seriously wrong.

"I was just out at the drug store getting some Dramamine for the flight tomorrow, you know?" Willow suffered greatly from airsickness. " I had forgotten the backpack for Alex, so I went home first before coming to you. Anyway, I went past Revello Drive, the way I always do. And there were all these police cars in front of Buffy's old house. I saw Mike Sheffield...you remember him…he's a cop now, and he told me that the Wilsons…both of them…were dead! Xander…he said they think it was a vampire!"

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Willow continued, 'the only reason they discovered the bodies right away is that a neighbor came by to borrow some sugar."

Xander was speechless. He literally couldn't force a word from his throat. He looked at Riley sitting there on the sofa next to his wife, chocolate chip cookie untouched in his hand. He thought of his children upstairs, asleep, and the Wilson's unborn child. He felt sick.

"Xander, are you okay?" the voice from the phone brought his mind back to what he had to do.

He laughed into the phone. "That's funny, Will. That Esme is a character. Listen, are you coming by this evening?" He shot a glance at Riley. He seemed to be listening to Anya who was describing their wedding in great detail. Good, let her ramble. "Alex wants to borrow your Snoopy backpack. For our trip to the Great Barrier Reef."

"Xander, I don't have a Snoopy backpack. It's Scooby Doo, and didn't you hear what I just told you?"

"Well. He only wants the _Snoopy _one. You know how kids are."

Snoopy. Suddenly Willow understood. Snoopy had been their signal word when they were kids. It meant all sorts of things, like "come rescue me," or "I can't let my folks hear what we're talking about." She thought quickly. What else had he said…something about The Great Barrier Reef.

"Xander are you talking in code?" she asked him, keeping her voice low.

"That's the one! I knew you had it." Xander's relief was real. Good old Willow.

"Do you need a barrier spell?"

"Yep. And tomorrow we can have an old fashioned barbecue...I'll throw some beef filets on the barbie."

"_Steaks_? Uh...stakes? Do you have a vampire in your house right now?"

"Hey I never got to tell you who's sitting in our living room! Riley Finn! The Wilsons told him where to find us!" At the mention of the Wilsons, Riley looked up. He _was_ listening.

"Oh my God! Xander!"

"So come on by, it will be just like old times."

"Yeah…those good old Hellmouth days. I'll be there and I'll bring everything I can. Hang in there."

Xander looked at Riley. Anya was describing the bridesmaids' dresses in excruciating detail. He almost laughed at Riley's glazed expression. Xander knew all sorts of ways to kill a vampire. But was it possible to bore one to death?

"Sorry guys. That was Willow, " he said with false heartiness as he rejoined the group. "She's on her way over. She was dying to see you again, Riley!"

Riley smiled politely. Clearly he was losing his interest in small talk, and in maintaining his Iowa farm boy act. But surely he and Anya were of more use to him alive than dead right now. And didn't he have some feelings left for them? They had all been friends once, hadn't they? He thought of Angelus, and shuddered.

"So, Xander, When was the last time you saw Dru?" 

Dru, eh? Thought Xander. So that's how it was…the guy sounded just like Spike after Dru ran off with that chaos demon. Xander sat down. He wished that there was someway to signal Anya to grab the kids and climb out the window, but that was impossible. Fighting vampires in a graveyard was a whole different thing then fighting one in your living room. Especially when it was a vamp you knew. And used to like.

Xander sat down, trying to look relaxed. "Let's see. It was about 7 years ago; a couple of months after you left town. She came by looking for Spike to bring him back into the family. He turned her down, or so I heard. I wasn't there, though Buffy was. She left and that was the last I heard of her."

"Yes, that's when she must have come looking for us. We were moving around a lot, all over Central and South America. Whole continent was a demon hotbed. Not too many vampires though, oddly enough. Why didn't Spike go with Dru when he had the chance?" 

"Buffy." Riley had snuck the question in so quickly that Xander answered before he had time to think.

"That's right. He had the hots for Buffy didn't he? I knew I should have staked the bastard for real that night. He still have that chip?"

"H-how should I know?" Anya opened her mouth to correct him, but he silenced her with a look. Please Anya…just keep quiet, he begged silently. "We haven't seen Spike in years! Never could stand the guy!"

"That's right. He was evil. Though not unattractive." Anya spoke up determined to help Xander in whatever strange game he seemed to be playing.

"So what's Buffy's address in New York?"

Xander felt as though he were falling into a deep pit. "Buffy doesn't know anything. She hasn't seen Drusilla either."

"No but I'll bet Spike has. And I'll bet you anything, if Buffy is in New York, then Spike is too. I know his type." Suddenly Riley was on his feet in full vamp face and had Xander by the shirt and up out of his chair. He growled, "If you know _anything_, Harris, you'd better tell me. Because I'm going to find Dru and get her back!" 

Anya leapt up, and ran for the fireplace. She grabbed the poker and came after Riley. She raised it to whack him, but he grabbed it and tossed the poker, with Anya still attached, across the room. At that moment the front door burst open and Willow came in brandishing a stake, and a Scooby Doo backpack full of weapons and spells. Riley was still smart enough to appreciate really bad odds, so he threw Xander at Willow and took off towards the kitchen. Xander landed on top of Willow, and they were in a tangle of arms and legs and couldn't get up. "Thicken!" Willow commanded the air around the departing vamp, but he was already out of the room. By the time they got up to follow him, he was out the back door, and disappearing into the night. Anya had bumped her head on the mantle, but was okay. Willow quickly performed a barrier spell to revoke Riley's invitation, making sure to secure the children's windows with holy water and sage leaves. 

"Now what?" Xander asked, as the three of them huddled together in the living room. 

Willow shook her head, thoughtfully. "He won't stick around here. He'll head for New York. We have to warn Buffy and Spike."

"Well, he doesn't know Buffy's address or even her last name. So that should slow him up some. But not for long, I expect. Oh...they're going to love this! " Said Xander.

"I told you he wasn't an old friend," said Anya righteously. "Damn! Do you think this might affect the wedding?" 

"Riley a vampire," exclaimed Willow, "I just can't believe it. I thought he went to South America to _fight _demons! How could such a thing have happened?"

Xander answered with one word, "Drusilla."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

February 2003 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Riley and Graham pushed their way through the packed crowd of drunken people towards the distant bleachers. Riley had heard that Carnivale was an unforgettable experience…one that put Mardi Gras in New Orleans to shame. There certainly seemed to be no limit to the drunken depravity going on around him. There was a parade snaking its way down the main street with floats and giant masks and somewhere in the din, music was playing, with a Latin beat, but there were so many people in the streets that Riley couldn't tell who were the marchers and who were the onlookers. Everywhere he looked, naked, or mostly naked people flashed him. Graham was holding on to Riley's shirt to keep from losing him in the crowd...at any moment he felt as though he would be swept away into the parade, never to be seen again. Considering the remote outposts where Riley had been stationed over the past two years, the crowds and noise were overwhelming. Though it all might all have been worse if he had actually been sober. As it was, it was all kind of fun. Graham pulled Riley up into the bleachers where McClusky had saved them a couple of seats. Actually he had pretty much passed out on the seat, but when Graham propped him up, there was room for Riley and Graham to sit down.

"This is really something, huh?" Graham passed Riley a flask. They had been drinking steadily all day, though the atmosphere was more intoxicating than the alcohol.

"Never seen anything like it. Look at those women, Can't believe they're walkin' around like that in public."

"How come we never see any women like that where we are?"

"We're not allowed to frat-fraternize with the local women anyway."

"Who would want to? They're all National Geographic rejects. Some of the demons are better lookin'!" 

The two soldiers laughed and made coarse jokes about the women below, as they sashayed past to the beat of the Brazilian music. 

The last two years had changed Riley Finn. Any remnants of the innocent farm boy that hadn't been destroyed by his sojourn in Sunnydale had been burned away in the hot Equatorial sun. Demon hunting wasn't a job for the weak or squeamish, and the days of hunting and slaughter followed by nights of drinking had coarsened and toughened him. At first he had missed Buffy so much and been so homesick for the US, that it was all he could do to not jump on the first chopper back to civilization. Instead, he threw himself into his work, volunteering for every mission, taking all sorts of crazy risks, trying to exorcise his memories of Sunnydale. And it worked...soon the work became his life, and he was able to find a measure of contentment, if not happiness. 

Still, sitting in the bleachers with Graham, in a happy alcoholic haze, with absolutely nothing around him to remind him of Sunnydale, his thoughts still strayed back to that time and place, where he had looked into the face of Riley Finn and been afraid of what he saw. 

Riley looked down at the teeming crowd. A band was going by and its beat was so infectious that it was impossible to be moving and not be in time with the music. Even the spectators were bouncing in their seats, unless they were dead to the world, like McClusky, or preoccupied like Riley. What had caught Riley's eye, and distracted him from the insistent music, was a woman who was seemingly also immune to the beat. She was dancing and swaying, but to her own internal rhythm, which was much slower and more sensuous than the bouncy Latin band. Her appearance was also strikingly different from that of the other revelers. While they were dressed in mere scraps of brightly colored spangles and feathers, she was wearing a long dress of black lace. Her only concession to the Carnivale was a black domino mask, which covered the upper part of her face. Her dark hair was hanging loose past her shoulders. Recently, there had been tales of a panther woman who prowled the jungles near the Army compound. A native woman had been torn apart and her child taken during the last full moon. An investigation had been launched, but no further sightings had been recorded. Riley knew such shape shifters existed, having met Oz and seen him in action, so to speak, at Initiative headquarters. He wondered if this strange woman could be the were-panther, for there was something predatory and cat like about her. But as she moved closer to his part of the bleacher, Riley suddenly knew exactly what she was. A vampire. 

Riley hadn't seen a vampire in almost two years. His peculiar addiction hadn't bothered him since he had left Sunnydale for the jungles of Belize. He wondered; if a man were stranded on an island 500 miles from the nearest 7-11 could one really say that he had given up smoking? Still, Riley knew that vampires existed in the larger cities, and he could have used his weekend passes to pursue them, if he really wanted to, but he didn't. Instead, he stayed with Graham. Graham's tastes were very mainstream when it came to recreation…he liked women and booze. Both of which were fine with Riley, so he hung with Graham, and stayed out of temptation's way. Riley looked down at the knotted scars that adorned the insides of his elbows, evident in his short sleeved shirt. Nobody had ever asked him about them, not even Graham. All the men in Riley's unit had scars, either physical, emotional, or both that had brought them to that remote location in the jungle to fight demons. They were a secretive lot, not given to sharing confidences, which was just the way Riley liked it. 

Oddly enough, since being bitten by vampires in Sunnydale, Riley had developed a heightened sense, almost slayer-like, of when vampires were around. For example, he could tell that there were some in the crowds surrounding him tonight, which made sense; this was a perfect venue for them. They could kill almost unnoticed in this mob. And when the dark lady on the street below came near him, Riley's senses tingled like a fire alarm bell, telling him her true nature. At that moment, she looked up, and Riley could swear she looked right at him and knew that _he_ knew what she was. It gave him a chill. She looked away, and continued her dance. Only now, she was no longer alone. She had chosen a victim, among the dancing bodies in the street. She began to dance with him; a handsome dark skinned man in a spangled G-string and feathered headdress. His body shown with oil or sweat, and as he danced with her, his beat soon matched hers, instead of the music. She was looking in his eyes, and without warning, or even a word between them, they both slunk away from the parade and right under the bleacher where Riley was sitting.

What should he do? The man probably thought that she was a prostitute, and had no idea what was awaiting him under those bleachers. He should stop it. Riley turned to Graham, but he was too far-gone to be of any use. Riley left him propped up against McClusky. With effort he extricated himself from the booze-laden bodies around him, and made his way down the bleacher. Ducking underneath, he saw that it was almost as crowded under here as in the streets, with only a modicum more privacy. It reeked of bodies, liquor, sex, and marijuana smoke. He searched among groping couples, looking for the mysterious woman in black and her partner. 

He finally saw them in back by the supports. She looked like she was embracing the man, but Riley knew that she was draining his life away, second by second that he couldn't reach them. Riley was armed, as always, but with a gun and a knife. He had gotten out of the habit of carrying stakes since leaving Sunnydale. He cast his eyes around desperately for something to use. He could shoot or stab her of course; it would injure her and certainly slow her down, but he wanted her dead…nothing short of dust would do. Riley saw something on the ground among the piled up litter and debris. A popular concession in the stands was a kind of spicy beef served on skewers. Several of these skewers lay scattered in the grass. He picked them up. They weren't very strong, but might suffice with the proper force behind them.

As he approached, the woman dropped the man, unconscious to the ground, and turned to face him. She had pulled off the domino mask, revealing her vampire visage, yellow eyes gleaming in the dark. Riley raised his improvised stake and moved towards her, pushing past a vomiting drunk, when incredibly, she laughed and her human face reappeared, though it was too dark to really see what she looked like. He had an impression of prominent eyes, and a sensuous mouth, when suddenly she waggled her fingers at him in a friendly wave, and disappeared into the crowds behind the bleachers. Riley looked at the skewer in his hand and realized how ridiculous it must have looked. He bent to the man lying on the ground. A faint pulse beat in his throat. Riley began shouting for help, in rudimentary Portuguese. He knew that he would never catch the vampire; she was a part of the crowd now and his senses could no longer detect her.

When he saw that the police were arriving, Riley himself melted into the crowd. He had no desire to talk to the police and be tied up in an investigation. The man would survive, and learn a lesson about picking up strange women at Carnivale. Riley found Graham and McClusky coming to at the bleachers, and dragged both of them back to their flea bag hotel, and deposited them on one of the double beds in the room. He collapsed on the other. He was exhausted, but the image of that vampire kept swirling through his brain. She had acted as though she knew him, had known that he wouldn't kill her, despite his upraised 'stake.' She had laughed at him. Riley was thinking that he would very much like to meet her again, when he fell into a deep sleep.

Two weeks passed. Riley's group had pretty much wiped out the demons in that area and was scheduled to bug out for a new location within the week. Riley heard that the new hot spot was in Equador somewhere. It didn't matter. One Quonset hut in the middle of nowhere was as good as another. Plus Riley was getting restless. The image of that vampire under the bleachers had been haunting him. For the first time since he had come to South America, Riley was seriously tempted to take a weekend pass to Rio and find a fang bar. He began drinking even more heavily, so much so that Graham noticed and called him out about it. He dragged himself to the little mirror in the latrine, and was horrified at what he saw. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and his body, on which he prided himself, was bloated and pale despite his tropic tan. 

Late that night, as he made his way from the latrine back to his hut, a woman came running out of the jungle. She was no native, but a pretty blonde girl with disheveled hair and torn clothing. She was crying, and Riley could see that she was bruised and battered. He was astounded. He hadn't heard that there were any white settlers this far out, except a biologist, Madeline Currie, who observed Colebus monkeys and kept to herself. Riley had met Dr. Currie, and this definitely wasn't her. She came running up to Riley and grabbed his arm. "Please," she sobbed, "You've got to help me!"

Instinctively, Riley led her back toward the jungle away from the Quonset huts, as if he knew that she didn't want to attract the attention of the other soldiers. "What happened?"

"M-my husband and I are fr-friends of Madeline. We-we were visiting her, when we attacked by this…thing...this giant panther, only it didn't seem like a real panther...it was so big, and it tore my husband and Madeline to shreds, I-I barely escaped!

Riley didn't have to look up to know that it was a full moon. The whole clearing was bathed in its light. The girl was sobbing quietly. It was all very logical, except one for thing.

"Your husband, "Riley asked gently, "Is he a vampire too?"

The blonde's head snapped up, and her tears dried instantly. She smiled. "You knew. Dru said you would know. She always surprises me. How could you tell? I thought I was pretty convincing."

"You were. I was thinking, Oscar, for sure." He rolled up his sleeve, and showed her his scars.

"Ah. You've been marked. Well, that will do it."

"What do you want? Why were you luring me out of the compound? Had a craving for take-out?"

The blonde smiled. "Nah...the trouble with soldiers is that you can't eat just one. And there aren't enough of us to take you all on. I have a friend that wants to meet you."

A friend! A thrill went through Riley. Could it be that dark woman from the Carnivale? He thought quickly. He had been carrying a stake since that night, hidden in his boot. Was he being totally stupid? Probably. But this was the first time that he had truly felt alive since he had left Sunnydale. He had to see where it would lead. He followed the blonde out of the compound into the night.

Riley followed the white of her shirt through the jungle. Soon they arrived at the cabin where Madeline Currie lived and did her research. As soon as he saw the cabin, Riley knew why he hadn't seen the feisty doctor around lately. He had to ask. "What did you do to Dr. Currie?"

The blonde sighed, "Sometimes you just get tired of the local cuisine, and want some good old American food."

Riley felt a lump in his throat. Dr. Currie had been a mad old broad, but she had been alive and now she wasn't. Just like that. Cold fear gripped him. Was he walking into something he couldn't handle? The blonde vampire opened the cabin door. Riley had never been inside. It was a homey place, lit with kerosene lamps. Photographs of monkeys covered the walls. The one room cabin seemed to be empty. "Where's your friend?"

"Hunting. It's the full moon you know."

"You're trying to tell me that your friend is the Panther Woman?"

The blonde laughed. "Let's say, it _amuses_ her to be the panther woman. Dru loves make believe. And you soldier boys aren't too friendly to vampires, from what I hear, so we've been keeping a low profile. But Dru likes to act out now and again. This lets her cut loose a bit. She's so…creative." 

At that moment Riley heard the low roar, almost a chuckle, of a great jungle cat. And the back door of the cabin flew open and a tall dark figure bounded in. She was laughing, and her yellow eyes glowed in the lantern light. She was dressed in a black bodysuit, with the domino mask Riley remembered. The front of her suit was stained with blood. She gave a feral grin and brandished her nails at Riley. They had all been sharpened to points. Her mouth and fangs were bloody. She looked like nothing more than a large panther, fresh from the kill. Riley was horrified but fascinated, all the same. Was this the same black beauty that had been haunting his dreams? The blonde woman shook her head disapprovingly. 

"Dru, honey. Go get cleaned up. We have a guest. Did you bring something back for me?"

Drusilla waggled her fingers toward the back door. "Out back. Better get it while it's fresh." She turned towards Riley, "And look what you've brought me, daughter. A little tin soldier boy. He's just the one I wanted too. Now don't go away." She went over to the alcove where there was a basin of water and a pitcher. She tossed the domino to the ground and began to wash her hands and face, turning the water a dark red. Meanwhile the other vampire disappeared out the back door. Riley watched as the dark haired woman, casually unzipped the stained bodysuit and tossed it to the floor. Naked she strolled over to the narrow bed, picked up a red silk robe, and unselfconsciously put it on. Riley's heart was thumping painfully in his chest and his mouth was dry. He had never seen anything like this. This combination of monstrousness and ethereal beauty. The skinny desperate whores in Sunnydale had been the dregs of vampire society, if there even was such a concept. These women, and he had to think of them as such, were royalty. He began to realize that stake or no stake, he was in over his head here. But he still had no impulse to flee. Why had they, _she_, sought him out? He couldn't leave until he had an answer.

Drusilla walked up to him and touched the scar at his neck. Her fingers were, cool, nails as sharp as razors.

She spoke to him in a singsong voice, her accent broad cockney, "I've been looking for you…oh so long. I have a bone to pick with you naughty soldiers. But you kept moving around. So hard to catch. Then one night I felt you in the crowd. After that, the fireflies led me right to your camp." 

She walked her fingers lightly up Riley's face to his head, and ran her fingers through his sandy hair…Riley held his breath. He had forgotten Dr. Currie, and whatever poor creature was being drained outside the door. All he could see was Drusilla's face inches from his. 

Suddenly, she drew back as though she had touched a live snake. "The Slayer!" she hissed, "you love the Slayer! Oh, unfair, unfair!"

"B-buffy? You n-know Buffy?"

Drusilla's eyes flashed yellow. "She stole my beautiful boy. My beautiful deadly boy. Even before you soldiers stole his brain...she stole his heart."

Riley was astounded. The phrase, 'it's a small world,' somehow seemed inadequate. This was a girlfriend of Spike's? Had Buffy ever mentioned her? Angry disappointment flooded him. She didn't want _him_, Riley Finn; she only chose him because he was a soldier. It was all about Spike! And the damned chip! Riley knew he should have staked the bastard long ago. Well he would be damned if she got any information from him. He looked around…the blonde bitch was still outside...now was his chance. His hand reached for the stake in his boot. Quick as a snake, Drusilla caught his wrist. With her other hand she caught his other wrist, and pushed him back against the wall of the cabin.

Fight, dammit! Riley thought to himself. You can fight her. She's not a woman, not human; she's a monster, a killer! But Drusilla was pressing up against him, looking into his eyes, and he couldn't seem to make his limbs obey his commands. 

"Look into my eyes," she commanded, and he had to obey. He felt his will slipping away under the force of her hypnotic gaze. "My lovely soldier boy," she whispered, "You don't want to fight me. You've been fighting us for so long. Now it's time to surrender." She moved her hands to the insides of his elbows and touched his scars. "You know what you want. You know why you came here. The darkness calls you. It sings to you in the night. The Slayer never understood you. She didn't appreciate what you had to offer. But we do, Darla and I. We need you. I need you."

Her lips touched his, lightly at first and then harder. Beyond fighting, beyond reason, Riley kissed her back. And in her kiss, he suddenly understood it all. Why Buffy had never loved him, and why Maggie Walsh had. Why he had sought out the vampire whores in Sunnydale. He understood, finally, that he could never win against evil, that it was in him and in everyone, to fight was futile and pointless. Angel would have understood how Riley felt at that moment, kissing Drusilla, for he had felt exactly the same way after his elevator ride to hell. The same despair that led Angel into Darla's arms was leading Riley into Drusilla's. 

Riley Finn, thousands of miles and light-years of experience from his Iowa home, gave up the fight and surrendered to the power of Drusilla's kiss. He never even knew the point at which kissing became biting, pleasure became pain and then pleasure again and when his consciousness became oblivion. 


	4. Chapter 4

"So, is this Riley some kind of supervamp or something

Chapter 4

"So, is this Riley some kind of supervamp or something?" Tina O'Brian's eyes were lit up with excitement. She loved it when Buffy called a meeting of what she called the Scooby Gang East.

Buffy looked at the teenage slayer. "Uh, no. Actually, as vampires go he is quite young, at most, only seven years old. So he won't be very powerful that way. But as a human, he was a trained military commando. He will still remember all that stuff, right William?" She looked at William who was sitting slumped on a dining room chair at a distance from the rest of the group.

"No...He'll think he's a bloody cocktail waitress from Kent!" William snarled. He had been in a thoroughly nasty mood since the phone call from Xander a couple of hours before.

"Okay." Buffy was determined not to lose her temper. " I take that to mean he _will_ retain all of his commando training." She looked to Pricilla Scott for confirmation. The watcher nodded her head, looking askance at William. She still had doubts about including a vampire in these meetings, and Williams's attitude tonight was not helping. "He may also have help…I hesitate to use the word minions, but.."

William snorted derisively.

"Plus there's the personal factor!" Winnie, the somewhat flaky Secretary of Big Bad Investigations, spoke up brightly, "I mean you did date the guy for a year, am I right?"

Buffy glared at her sister Dawn who shrugged. "Your life story isn't exactly private, Buffy. I mean you've even made the history books. Well, the Council ones anyway."

"That's right," Tina spoke up, "I read your whole life history in Giles' Watcher's Diary."

Buffy sighed. It was true. In certain circles, she was a legend. Not much privacy there. "Well, since you all know my history so well, then you all know I have previous experience with this kind of thing. Angelus took particular pleasure in coming after me and my friends when he lost his soul. Riley may well do the same."

"Bloody pillock," muttered William, though whether referring to Riley or Angel, it was unclear.

"Well, _anyway_," she reached into a manila folder and removed a large somewhat faded photograph, "this is his picture, so you'll know him if he shows."

"You still have his bloody photo?" William exploded.

"William! Cut it out! He was part of my history, as everyone is so eager to point out. Of course, I still have his picture. Now, stop being such a wanker!" She hoped that her use of his British slang would elicit a smile. It didn't. Oh, it was going to be a fun evening. She passed the photo around.

"Oh, he's cute! Looks tall too." Said Tina. At 15, and 5'10, she was beginning to fill out and grow into her coltish arms and legs. In a few years, she would be a pretty girl. Right now, she was a mass of teenage insecurities, not to mention being The Slayer, which, Buffy knew, added just that little something extra to the pain of growing up.

"Looks strong too," sighed Winnie, as she passed the photo to Miss Scott. Pricilla Scott studied the photo but was silent. She seldom spoke at these meetings, though she was useful as a resource, like Giles had been. Mostly she was there to keep an overprotective eye on her slayer.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Back when he was in the Initiative, Riley was chipped, wired, and fed a lot of drugs, which gave him super strength. He removed most of the hardware himself, and a doctor eventually removed the rest, and he stopped taking the drugs, so that by the time he left Sunnydale, he was pretty much back to normal. Just your average commando guy. Still, he could have started taking those drugs again, when he rejoined the army. Would they affect him now?"

"Don't think so," said William, making an effort to cooperate after Buffy's outburst. "Drugs don't have much effect on us. Temporary at best. Our bodies reject them like they reject viruses, and other nasty things. Of course, there was that one time at Woodstock. Did I ever tell you lot about that?"

"Yes!" the group answered in chorus. William sunk back into his sulk. 

"Now actually, according to Xander, all Riley wants is to find Drusilla. Apparently, she is his sire, and they were uh, together for a few years. From what we know, she left him to come here to New York, where she found William a few months ago and unchipped him, trying to turn him back into a murderer. However, he resisted her. Then, for reasons best known to himself, he allowed her to escape."

"She bloody well _helped_ me! I told you all. I couldn't just let her get staked. She left town. She's not causin' any more trouble."

"I seriously doubt _that_," said Buffy. "Trouble is her middle name."

"Maybe if we just tell Riley that we don't know where Dru is, he'll leave peacefully! " suggested Dawn.

"Honey, I know you liked Riley.." Buffy began, "but..."

Dawn shrugged, "He bought me ice cream once when mom was sick…it was hardly a life time commitment. I just hate the thought of staking the guy, that's all. I mean, we _knew_ him."

"Well, he's no longer the person we knew, Dawn. He _murdered_ the people who moved into our old house. The wife was _pregnant_. Xander says he seemed nice enough at first, but it was all a big act. He changed right away, as soon as he knew Xander was on to him. He could have killed them, if Willow hadn't called."

"Well, if you ask _me_, he was no bargain when he was alive. But then again, he staked me, and hurt the woman I love, so I might be prejudiced." Spike announced, jumping to his feet. "I say stake the bastard good and proper, as soon as he shows his face!"

"That _is_ probably the best approach to take, Buffy, as much as I hate to say it, dear, " said Miss Scott, rising. "As he is a vampire, our duty is clear." 

"Don't worry, Buffy, I can take him. Even if he is cute." Said Tina, unfolding her long frame from the recliner.

"I agree, Pricilla. Thank you all for coming." said Buffy. "Remember, we must all take extra precautions. As you know my friends are all arriving tomorrow, and the wedding is the following day. Then we leave to drive down south for two weeks, so I hope that this will all be resolved by then. I would hate to postpone our trip, but we won't leave you as long as there is a threat. Thanks again guys, for coming by. I'll see you all tomorrow night at John's Pizzeria, 8 PM, for the big rehearsal dinner."

"We'll finally get to meet the Scooby gang West." Said Winnie, heaving her bulk out of one of Buffy's larger chairs.

"Uh, Winnie? Perhaps you shouldn't call them that. I think they think of themselves as the one and only Scooby Gang. "

"Except for the ones in the cartoon and that stupid movie," added Dawn, getting up to hand out coats to the departing guests.

Pricilla and Tina left, followed by Winnie. Dawn hugged Buffy and William, and left also, to spend the night at her boyfriend Jason's apartment. William and Buffy were alone.

"Well, thanks a lot, _Spike_. You were very helpful." Buffy got up and began clearing the soda cans and teacups from the living room, making somewhat more noise than was strictly necessary.

"_Spike_? You're callin' me Spike now?"

"Well, you were certainly _acting_ like Spike. For a moment there I thought we were back in Sunnydale."

"What, you goin' to punch me next? I don't have the chip any more, you know. Want to go a few rounds _Slayer_?"

"William, I know you're upset about Riley coming back. I am too. But moping around and being sarcasm guy isn't going to help. And I really don't think that punching each other is going to help either."

"Might be fun though."

"Spike stop it. I have to clean up. We're having a house full of people tomorrow, remember? And you're going to wake Emily up."

"Hmmph. I can remember when you couldn't wait to punch me. Has the spark gone out of our relationship?"

"William, you are a total wanker." Buffy kissed him, hands full of dishes. "I can't believe I am marrying you."

"And I can't believe you still have Riley's picture." 

Oh shit. Buffy knew that he had taken that revelation much too well. She brought the dishes into the kitchen and put them in the sink. She came back into the living room and walked over to William.

"William, listen to me, and listen good. I am not now, nor was I ever in love with Riley Finn. I wanted to love him, he was everything I wanted in a boyfriend, but it just didn't happen. And he did what he did, and left me, and I got over it. You, on the other hand, were exactly the _opposite _of what I wanted in a boyfriend. I didn't want to love you, but I did anyway, and I do now. Have you got that through your head? Yes, I still have a picture of Riley. I have a picture of Angel too. And pictures of Giles. And my High School Yearbook. And pictures of Xander, and Willow and even a goofy one of Oz. They are a part of my history, and I am not getting rid of them. Okay? Insecure much?"

"Well, I once told GI Joe that he wasn't your long-haul guy because you needed a man with a little monster in him."

"You told him that? When?"

"The day he left. Right after he staked me, with that soddin' plastic stake of his. Two of us ended up drinkin' together. Told me he'd kill me for real if I ever touched you. Ha! Anyway, now he's got all the monster in him that you could possibly want."

"William, is that what you really think? That I am going to trade you in for a newer model vampire? He doesn't have a soul!"

"Ahem." 

"Okay, you don't either. Technically. But I really don't think of you as a basic soulless vampire. If I did, I wouldn't be marrying you, that's for certain. So, you don't have to worry about Riley, okay? I just don't want this to ruin our wedding. What I really wish is that he would just call you up, ask you where Drusilla is. You tell him you don't know and he goes away. That's my wish."

"Except that I do."

"You do what?"

"Know where Drusilla is."

"What?"

"I know where Dru is. She's in New Jersey. Living down by the waterfront. Fort Lee."

"Drusilla is in New Jersey," Buffy stated in a deadly calm voice," And you know this, how?"

William studied the pattern of the carpet. "She phoned me, 'bout a month ago."

"I see. And when were you planning on mentioning this to all of us, and to me in particular?"

"I was actually planning on never mentioning' it at all, until this Riley thing came along."

"Oh."

"Buffy, love. She's all-alone. Darla's dust, and Angel set her on fire last time she saw him. I'm the only family she has left. She's not causing any trouble, love. I haven't seen her, or anything. I just talked to her that once. Told her to hang in there."

"Well, isn't that nice of you. _And you have the gall to complain about Riley's picture?_ You son of a bitch!" She raised her fist in furious anger, but stopped herself just seconds before socking him. "Oh no, Spike. I am SO not going to go there! Get out."

"Get out? Buffy, I…"

"You have an apartment of your own. Go there. I can't look at you right now."

"Buffy, you aren't being fair. It's not like that, she's…"

"What…family? Oh, that's right, she's your sire, right? So does that make her your mother? Or your lover? Or _both?_ Just get out, Spike. I can't deal with your sick vampire shit right now."

"Sick _vampire_ shit? Well it isn't any sicker than the human shit I've had to put up with. All you holier than thou humans lookin' down your noses at me. Like that bitch Priscilla Scott lookin' at me like you invited a cockroach into your kitchen. Well, maybe I've had it with playing by your rules! Oh, I'll go all right. The question is...will I come back?" He grabbed his brown leather jacket and slammed out of the apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

William strode down the street towards his apartment, lost in thought and oblivious to the cold February wind swirling around him. His leather jacket wouldn't have been warm enough for a human but he didn't feel the cold the way humans did. He didn't feel _anything_ the way bloody humans did! After all this time did Buffy really understand him so little? Did nobody understand how bloody _hard_ these last nine months had been for him?

When the chip had been functioning, he'd had no bloody choice! He _couldn't_ kill, except demons. Rejected by his own kind, he'd had to live as a human or be alone. He'd gotten used to them, humans, and grown to love some of them, and tolerate the rest. But when Dru and Darla deactivated his chip, suddenly the world was full of choices again. Did Buffy think that when he turned down Dru's offer to go back to his old life that it was _final_? That he had suddenly been reborn a 'good' vampire? Well he hadn't. It was a constant struggle, against constant temptation. And sometimes he got so bloody tired of it. It didn't help to know that Dru was just across the river, his old life waiting for him. And now the Riley factor. Just what he needed! Oh, people thought that Dru was insane, but William could always understand her twisted logic. Buffy had stolen something of hers, so she stole something of Buffy's. Never mind that Buffy and Captain Cardboard were ancient history. Leave it to Dru to turn a poor git like Riley and make him her slave and then just leave him, alone and desperate. Why did that sound so bloody familiar? A horrible thought struck him. When he, William, had wanted to impress Dru, he'd killed his first slayer. It had worked too. Would Riley have the same idea? Bloody hell! 

And now on top of everything he'd gone and lost his temper. When he'd left Buffy's apartment, he had been so furious he had kicked over all the garbage cans on her street. Very mature. Lucky for Buffy's neighbors that it wasn't a fit night out for man nor beast. Who knows what he might have done if some little old lady had chosen that moment to walk her poodle? Sometimes it was nothing but blind luck that kept him on the straight and narrow. Eventually it had passed; the blind anger, the desire to kill, to _show _Buffy…to show her what? That he couldn't be trusted? That she was wrong to leave Emily with him, to allow him to hang out with Dawn? That she was wrong to love him? Sometimes it seemed like he had come so far in the last 9 years, and sometimes, like tonight, he felt like he was still at sodding point A! How could he even _think_ about getting married? Marriage was a human institution, and he wasn't a bloody human. Ask Priscilla Scott, who thought of him like she would a chimpanzee dressed in a tuxedo. Oh look…he walks and talks just like a human! How clever! But people didn't marry chimpanzees, did they?

With these gloomy thoughts, he reached his place on Broome Street, behind the offices of Big Bad Investigations. Pulling open the curtain that hid his door from the public, he entered his private apartment. What was had once been his haven, was now cold and empty. Dust coated every surface. He really hadn't been here in months. He raced back into his office to check his machine. There were a few messages…it was their office number, though BBI was officially closed for the next three weeks, but none from Buffy. He went back inside. The place was so bloody quiet. With a six-year-old around, Buffy's place was seldom quiet. Not to mention Dawn and Jason and their theater friends dropping by at all hours to do wash or microwave something or watch one of Jason's art films. Sometimes he longed for the quiet of his life before Buffy had come into it. Well, here it was and he sodding hated it! He paced restlessly. He could have played one of his many DVDs or put some music that _he _liked on his state of the art entertainment system. But instead he paced. Then, suddenly he strode out of his apartment. There, on the coat tree near his office door hung his black leather duster, usually worn only when 'Spike' went demon hunting. He put it on, feeling comfort in the familiar smell of leather and tobacco. Checking the pockets for the pack of cigarettes and lighter he kept there for emergencies, he went back out into the night, slamming the door behind him.

Buffy scrubbed away at the black crust in her oven. Damn crap was _welded_ on! Here she was expecting a house full of company tomorrow and she couldn't get the oven clean. What would they think? Tears ran down her cheeks and she couldn't wipe them away because her rubber gloves were full of oven cleaner and black gunk. Stupid to cry over a dirty oven anyway. What would Xander and Willow think when she couldn't produce a _fiancé_ tomorrow? Much worse than a dirty oven. Buffy stood up and stripped off the rubber gloves and tossed them into the sink. The kitchen was as clean as it was going to get. If only her other problems were as easily solved. Oh, _why_ had she gone into Buffy bitch mode? Why hadn't she even _tried _to understand about Drusilla? She knew that vampires had ties to their sires that were beyond human understanding. Plus Spike and Dru had been together for over a century. Her own time with him was just a drop in the bucket. But she couldn't help it, even the _name_ Drusilla filled her with rage. So what did she do, but drive William out, possibly into the arms of the very spider herself…waiting there across the river in her web. Brilliant, Buffy! 

God, she thought, these last nine months must have been so damn hard for him. He never said anything, but she could tell…the look he got in his eyes when they were close to some stranger, in the subway or an elevator. She could almost feel his hunger. She never felt it when he was alone with her, or when they were with Dawn or, God forbid, Emily. It was so unfair! He had come to accept his chip, accept the fact that he couldn't prey on people. Now, suddenly he has to make that choice every day. The choice not to kill. And why does he do it? Because of me? Emily? Dawn? We are the people he loves. Buffy knew there were also people he liked, like Winnie, Tina, Willow and Xander et al, and people like Priscilla Scott that he merely tolerated. But what about the rest of the human population? How safe were they? And how could she even _think_ of marrying a vampire if she was having these concerns?

And what about Riley? Dear, sweet, boring Riley, whom she had tried so hard to love. I guess his 'thing' for vampires finally caught up with him, she thought ruefully. Just thinking of Riley as a vampire filled her with horror and grief. All he had ever wanted was to be a hero. Well, at least now she could wipe the tears from her eyes.

Buffy took a shower. When she came out with wet hair and red eyes, she went and checked her answering machine. No messages. She sat down in front of the television. The place was so damn quiet. Even when Emily was asleep and Dawn was out, there was always William around, talking and commenting on every show. Well tonight, she could actually watch TV in peace. So what was on HBO tonight? Oh, perfect, _Shadow of A Vampire_! She hastily switched it off, and went to bed, damp hair and all, there to lie sleepless until she had to get Emily up for school.

New York was truly the city that never sleeps, thought William, as he made his way down the quiet streets. Even on a miserable night like this, there were people out, in the bars, pool halls, and nightclubs. A bloody moveable feast. He went into a bar, one of those yuppie hangouts that had proliferated in the Village in the 80s. They had become somewhat seedy again, now that the yuppies no longer came downtown at night. Slow Jazz was playing on the jukebox, like the soundtrack to a _film noir_. William had always loved movies, but now Jason, the film student, was teaching him all the terms. And here _he_ was, the classic _film noir_ anti-hero, lurking about in his black leather coat, looking for trouble. He sat at a table in the far corner, ordered bourbon, and lit a cigarette. A saxophone wailed. He sat watching the bar. A woman came in and sat down. She was young, with long red hair, maybe a college student or actress wannabe. William sighed. Was there no limit to human stupidity? Here they were on the new Hellmouth, and she was out all alone. Who knew what foul demon would find her a tasty treat? He continued to watch. Sure enough, within minutes, like sharks around a bloody foot, the creatures of the night began to surround her. The fact that these particular creatures were human didn't make any difference.

William couldn't quite hear their conversation, but he could read body language. The big burly guy to her right was invading her personal space, making her uncomfortable, and slightly afraid. William could almost smell the fear. He willed his face to stay human. He got up and strode casually over to the bar and ordered another bourbon, insinuating himself between the girl and her would-be suitor. The burly guy was taller than William by a good six inches and his arms; well they matched the rest of him. The girl up close wasn't that pretty or that young. William could smell hair dye, cheap perfume and the scotch she was drinking. Still it was kind of late in the evening to be choosy. From long practice, he knew just what to say to a woman like this, how to turn on the bad boy charm. This kind of seduction had been his stock in trade in the old days. He took a deep, unneeded, breath.

"Mate, I think you're botherin' the lady here!"

The burly guy looked down at him like he was a bug. "Oh yeah?" was his witty rejoinder, "You plannin' ta stop me?"

"Yeah!" he replied…no point on wasting his wit on this Neanderthal.

Burly Guy grabbed William by the neck of his tee shirt; "I don't tink so."

"I do." Replied William calmly, then hauled off and slugged the guy right in the jaw, knocking him down. No pain, by God, in fact it felt flamin' terrific! Burly Guy leapt up and dove at William who slugged him again, this time sending him across the room. At that moment, two things happened. The Burly guy's two buddies, who had up until now kept a low profile, decided to join the fight, and the redhead decided that violence wasn't her thing, and made a hasty exit. For the next twenty minutes, William was too busy dealing with the first event to even notice the second. 

When he finally staggered into his apartment, just before dawn, William was bruised, bloody and finally at peace. Nobody had died, nobody was in jail...though he did face a rather hefty repair bill, and he finally felt ready to get married. Now if only his bride-to-be felt the same way. He flopped down on his bed. He would phone her in a few hours when he was sober, and a bit more coherent. He fell into a deep sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Travelling was a bitch when you were a vampire, thought Riley as he sat in the airport restaurant, nursing a cup of coffee and trying to look as though he had somewhere to go. He hadn't been able to get to LA in time to catch the redeye last night and now he was stuck at the airport all day, waiting for the next evening flight. 

Things would be a lot easier if he could have gotten the information that he wanted from Harris. He had made the mistake of counting on Xander's stupidity. Unfortunately, that assumption had proved to be based on outdated information. Xander had been suspicious of him right from the get go, and he had been lucky to get out of there in one piece. He never found out Buffy's new last name or her address, or anything about the whereabouts of Spike at all. Maybe the bastard was even back with Dru! The thought filled him with rage, and it was all he could do to control his face, and maintain his mild mannered façade. He forced himself to calm down, and think. Riley had found out one piece of valuable information from his visit to Sunnydale. Anya had let slip that she and Xander were travelling to New York today. His sharp eyes had also noticed a Continental Airlines folder on the coffee table while Anya was regaling him with stories about her wedding. This was good news, because he already had associates in New York, searching for Dru there. It was a logical place for her to be; near the Hellmouth and all. He had contacted Burke, Finch and Washington last night on their cel phones and given them their assignments. 

Riley had staked enough minions to know that they were usually poster boys for stupidity. He, himself, had no need for muscle bound idiots. He had recruited his _team_, as he preferred to think of them, with care. Two of them were soldiers; Burke an Army Corporal, Washington a Marine PFC. He had been careful not to recruit anyone who had outranked him as a human, so that they would have no problem following his orders. Some vampires treated their minions badly, abusing them and half starving them, and then wondered why they turned traitor at the first possible moment. Riley treated his team with respect, and made sure that they all fed when he did. Finch was a different case, all together. But Finch, too, had his price, and Riley met it gladly. He had earned their loyalty and trust during the last few months, and was confident that his exercise would go off without a hitch. Well, as soon as he located his prey, that is. 

Riley hadn't been 100% honest with Xander when he said that he was only looking for Drusilla. Oh he wanted to find her, of course. But he also wanted to bring her a gift, in order to woo her back into his arms. Something special that she would really like. He wanted to bring her a Slayer. It seemed like the very least he could do. That was why he had detoured to Sunnydale while his team had gone on to New York. He had not been a happy camper when perky Mrs. Wilson had opened the door on Revello drive. But he had turned on his Iowa charm and gotten himself invited in, taking advantage of the fact that she was an obvious newcomer to Sunnydale. Unfortunately, he had lost his temper when he found out that Buffy was no longer in town. He hadn't planned on killing the Wilsons…it was too big a risk, but once they saw him in game face, there really was no choice. A vampire 's got to do what a vampire's got to do. But at least they had led him to Xander, before they died, and now he knew that Buffy was in New York, and that Xander and his family were coming in to meet her.

Riley leafed through the USA Today he had picked up at the newsstand. It was a ridiculous paper but it would help kill the time. What did he care about these silly humans and their silly problems? Did he really need to know that Brad Pitt was getting married for the third time? Well, this was a little more like it. A short article entitled, _Devil in New Jersey?_ caught his eye. It seems that people had been disappearing from the Ft. Lee and Cliffside Park area of New Jersey over the past six months, leading to speculation about the New Jersey Devil, a legendary monster thought to reside in the Meadowlands. Riley shook his head…people were so blind to what they didn't want to see. According to the article the two New Jersey towns were right across the river from New York City. But not one mention of the Hellmouth. It had been the same in Sunnydale…total denial, even from the police. Of course, that near to the Hellmouth the New Jersey Devil could even be real...Riley had seen stranger things. He chuckled...Maybe he could find this Devil and ask him if he's seen Dru. Hell, knowing Drusilla, she was probably dating the guy! Riley tore the article out and put it in his pocket. It wouldn't hurt to check out the local papers when he hit New York.

Buffy raced home from dropping Emily off at school. No messages. This was so not good. The last time William had disappeared, he had been kidnapped by Dru and Darla. Of course this situation was different. She had kicked him out. Should she call him? Did she feel like groveling? Not really. Damn him! He should have just told her about Drusilla in the first place. No way was this her fault! Now she had a day full of errands to run and things to do, before Emily got out of school. She would be out of town for the next two weeks, and bills had to be paid, dry cleaning picked up, mail stopped etc. A limo was picking the gang up at the airport, and they would be descending upon her sometime after 6:00. Their reservation at John's was for 8:00. She and William had planned kind of an all-purpose engagement party, bridal shower, bachelor party and rehearsal dinner…with pizza. She didn't know what to do…just go about her business as though everything was okay, and hope for the best? And what about Riley? Well, unless he could fly like a bat, there was no way he could arrive in NY before tomorrow. And then he still had to find her. Buffy shrugged. No point in borrowing that particular trouble until it came. Today, she had the small matter of being one fiancé short of a wedding.

William woke up and immediately wished that he hadn't. There wasn't a place on his body that didn't hurt, and he had the vampire version of a hangover. If it was this bad for him, he couldn't imagine what humans must go through. He lay there trying to remember last night…there had been fighting with Burly Guy and company, which had been so bloody good, and then somehow he and BG had become best mates…how had that happened? Oh that's right…BG's tattoo. Somewhere in the mist of the fray, William had noticed that BG had the word 'Spike' tattooed on his arm, in elaborate calligraphy. So he stopped mid punch, to ask him about it, and it turned out to be his bloody _name_! A human called Spike! This struck William as hilarious, and before long he and human Spike and his mates were all drinking together and having a great old time, until the bartender at the last bar threw them out, and William noticed a reddish tinge in the sky. He'd barely made it back before the sun. Well, William rationalized, it was the closest he was going to get to a real bachelor party…tonight's shindig was strictly a family affair. William sat up suddenly, causing bad things to happen to his head. Bloody hell! What time was it? Oh Christ, 5:00…he'd slept the whole bloody day away, and had never called Buffy! This was not good. He walked gingerly into his office and checked his machine. No new messages. Oh she was really brassed off at him now! He dialed her number, but was met with her voice on the machine. Groveling by remote control was not his thing. Got to do it the old fashioned way. He stepped into the shower.

Buffy was unlocking the door with Emily, when she heard the phone ring. But the machine only let it ring twice, and by the time she got to the phone, the caller had hung up. Buffy had fretted all day about explaining the William situation to Emily, who adored him. She was used to William being here when she got home from school every day. He listened to her tales about her teacher and classmates, and helped her with her reading and writing exercises while Buffy made dinner. It was a great arrangement, which William had seemed to enjoy as much as Emily did. This morning she had told Emily that William had spent the night in his own apartment because he had all kinds of things to do before going away. That had sounded so convincing that she had almost believed it herself. Emily knew that William had to stay put during daylight hours, but she would be expecting him as soon as the sun set. What would she say then? 

"Can I get you a refill of that gingerale?" the waitress asked the cute soldier with the blonde crew cut. The poor guy had been siting here for hours, waiting for his flight. "It's on the house." One couldn't do too much for our boys in uniform, especially when they were that cute.

"No thanks, ma'am. This here one is fine with me." He had a broad southern accent, which just added to his appeal. He gave her a big smile, which revealed his dimples. "Too bad I'm flyin' outta here today."

She sighed. Yes it was too bad. Her shift wouldn't be over for hours. Well, it was obviously pointless to flirt with him, and that jerk over at the next table was signaling her. She smiled politely and left.

Jimmy Bob Burke took a photograph out of his pocket. He had arrived at Kennedy airport before dawn this morning, and had spent the morning sleeping in an out of the way utility closet. It had been hot and airless, but he didn't mind the heat, being from Alabama, and he didn't need air. He studied the photograph, while keeping one eye on the Continental Airlines Gates. The picture was of a happy group of young people at the beach. He recognized Riley of course, with his arm around the Slayer. She was sure a cute little thing. A bulky dark haired boy had his arm around a slender blondish girl. These were the people he was watching for. The other person in the photo was a perky redhead who was blowing a kiss to whoever was taking the picture, probably her boyfriend. Washington, over at la Guardia Airport had a similar photograph from the same batch. Riley sure didn't believe in taking chances. That was one of the things that Burke admired about him. That, and his total ruthlessness, of course.

"So, will somebody explain to me again why we are coming to New York in the dead of winter?" Willow asked as she struggled with a pile of winter coats as well as their hand held luggage. Tara was carrying Esme, who was trying to get down and walk, as well as the car seat. Xander and Anya were similarly laden, though Sasha was too young to try to escape, and Alex could carry his own coat.

Anya spoke up. "I agree. Why couldn't Buffy get married in June like everybody else does? It's not like she is pregnant like I was." 

"Could you speak up, Anya? I'm not sure that everybody in the airport heard that." Xander exchanged a wink with his son. There were no secrets in the Harris household.

"Well, Buffy wanted us all to come out last summer, but that didn't work out. Then Anya had Sasha, and then there were the holidays, and well…suddenly it was February." Said Tara.

"Well, I don't mind. I always wanted to see the Big Apple, and winter is as good a time as any. Maybe we'll get some snow…wouldn't that be fun?" Xander waved at the limo driver who was holding up a sign that said Harris.

"Yeah, fun. I hear it's cold and white! " Willow muttered, as she helped Tara get Esme into the car seat, while Anya buckled Sasha in her car seat next to her. 

None of them noticed the young soldier as he watched them scramble into the limo. The line for cabs was too long for him to grab one and follow them like in the movies, but Riley had planned for that. Burke simply copied down the name of the Limo Company and the license number. He then phoned that info into Finch. His job done, for the time being, Burke was finally free to do a little hunting. He decided he would wait for that cute little waitress to get off work. 

By the time Riley landed tomorrow morning, he would have the address of the slayer.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Mommy, why do you keep looking out the window?" Emily was dressing her Barbie. 

Buffy temporized, " Well, I'm really excited to see Willow and Xander again. And Anya and Tara too. It's been such a long time since we've seen them. And we've never seen baby Sasha or little Esme. And Alex is coming too. Aren't you excited about seeing him again?"

"Yeah," said Emily listlessly. She kept playing with the Barbie, eyes downcast. It was past 6:00 PM and the sun had been down for over an hour.

Buffy looked at her daughter, sadly. This was a little girl whose father had gone into the hospital and had never come out. Now she had transferred all of her love to a vampire. Had it been a horrible mistake to do this to her? Damn you William, she thought angrily, forget about me…how can you do this to Emily? The phone rang. She ran for it.

"Hello?…Oh, hi, Will!…what?….No everything's fine. How was your flight?…Uh huh …Uh huh…well, that makes sense, actually. No point in coming all the way over here…Do you have the address of the restaurant?…That's right…It's right in Times Square…wait, somebody's at the door….no it's okay the phone is cordless…."

Buffy opened the door. There stood William, with a bouquet of flowers in his hand, and an abashed look on his face. Emily pushed past Buffy and jumped into William's arms. He picked her up and swung her around. Buffy took one look at the two of them and burst into tears, forgetting the telephone. A voice from her hand reminded her.

"W-what? Oh….W-will….sorry…no, no, everything is okay! In fact everything is just fine! I'll explain later. See you at the party!" She clicked off the phone and accepted the flowers from William's outstretched hand, as he untangled himself from Emily.

"Buffy. I-I'm sorry I'm so bloody late. I overslept, and couldn't get a soddin' cab. I would have been here an hour ago."

"William, look at my Barbie! "She held it up. Barbie was resplendent in a white wedding gown with veil. 

"Oh, that's lovely, pet. But you know your mum will be much prettier than that."

"Emily, hon," said Buffy, " why don't you go get dressed? We're going to be leaving for the pizza place soon, and I need to talk to William, okay?"

"Sure, Mom, " she said happily, "But don't yell at him, okay?" she raced off into her room.

William looked at her. "Well, at least my invite hasn't been revoked. Are you gonna yell at me? "

"Oh, William. Thank God you're home!" William took her in his arms. Buffy had a bouquet in one hand and a telephone in the other, but that didn't stop her from returning his embrace. They kissed hungrily, as though they had been apart for months instead of one night.

"Buffy, sweetheart, I am so sorry. I should have told you about Dru…don't know why I didn't."

"Forget it William. I should have been more understanding…are you all right?" She was looking at his bruised face.

William looked down," Got into a bit of a fight last night. In a bar. Some bloke named Spike. You know me, pet, got to have my spot of ultra violence now and then. Usually it's demons. Last night…"

Buffy looked concerned. "Uh, William….how _is_…this bloke named Spike?"

"I think he might be comin' to our wedding. I can't remember exactly, but I have an awful feeling that I invited him."

Buffy felt her mouth quirking into a smile, "Oh William, you really are the big bad, aren't you?" Then she became serious. "William, I just want you to know, that I know how difficult these last nine months have been for you. And I am so proud of you."

"Were you worried about me slippin' last night, Buffy?"

"I was worried about a lot of things, William. I even thought of you going back to Drusilla. But I never really believed any of it seriously. If I had, I would have been out hunting you, William, instead of pacing the floors waiting for you to come home. I love you, and I trust you enough to marry you and make you Emily's father. I knew that you'd never betray us over one little fight."

"Well, I love you too, Buffy. You've given my life back to me, which I had lost for all those years. I know I'm not human, never will be. But thanks to you and Emily and Dawn I'm no longer a monster. It has been a struggle, but worth every minute of it." They kissed again for along while. Suddenly Buffy pulled away, looking at her watch.

"Damn. We have to go. Will and Xander and all are meeting us at the restaurant. We'll having to finish making up later."

"Lookin' forward to it, love." Said William. "Do I look all right? Mirrors at my place seem to be on the fritz."

"You look terrific. How about me?"

"You're the most beautiful woman, I've even seen."

Buffy smiled, "Well, maybe we could be a _little_ late."

At that, Emily came running in, pulling her coat on, "Well? Are we going?"

William and Buffy laughed. He said, "Guess we are, Tadpole."

The scene at John's Pizzeria was total and wonderful chaos. Tearful greetings were exchanged, Scooby Gangs East and West met for the first time, babies were passed around and admired and much wine was consumed. 

"Wow, this place is really cool." Willow had said as they arrived, " I can't believe that _The Producers_ is playing right next door!" She looked out the door where crowds of people were waiting outside in the cold for the theater doors to open.

"Yep, It's been running for seven years now, and still going strong! And look across the street…it's _Hannibal!" _Buffy pointed out a similar crowd shivering across the street. At that moment, the doors opened and both crowds melted into the theaters.

When they got their table, they ordered several pizzas, and settled down to get acquainted and re-acquainted. Emily and William were shy with each other at first, but soon became best buddies again, laughing at the grownups who were acting more like kids then they were.

Dawn had brought her latest set of headshots, which were admired by all. She wasn't a star yet, but had had a few bit parts off-Broadway. Well, off-off-Broadway to be precise. Jason was inspected by all and accepted as promising boyfriend material. Winnie, as a witch wannabe, had been dying to meet Willow and Tara, whose exploits were legendary in Wicca circles. She was totally enthralled by Esme, with her dark eyed solemn face and sweet manner. Tina had been very interested in meeting Willow and Xander, the friends who had helped Buffy be the longest lived, given a death or two, slayer in history. Anya hit it off with Pricilla Scott, of all people. It turned out that they were both Martha Stewart devotees. And William and Buffy answered questions from their old friends about the New York Hellmouth. And so the evening went.

"Actually, as Hellmouths go, this one isn't much. I mean, sure, we've got demons aplenty, but not one single apocalypse so far." Buffy explained.

"Sounds like a pretty wimpy Hellmouth to me, " said Xander.

"Now the latest is this Jersey Devil thing!"

"What, the hockey team has run amok?"

Buffy laughed, "Well, no, silly. The hockey team was actually named after this thing which was reputed to live in the Meadowlands. But recently all these people have been reported missing in Cliffside Park, which is right across the river and Fort…." Buffy stopped suddenly and looked at William "Lee." 

William looked at her. The realization had hit him at the same time as it had hit her. He mouthed. "Dru?" Buffy nodded. 

"What is it, Buffy?" Xander asked.

"We know where Drusilla is. And as usual, she is up to no good." She explained her suspicions.

"Have we heard anything from our errant soldier boy?" Asked Xander.

"Not a word." said Buffy. "But I'm not too worried. Without my last name or address, he'll never find us. New York is a big place."

Riley opened his laptop, and hooked it up to the telephone on the seat back in front of him. It was about time that vampires moved into the 21st century. Ah, good…E-mail from Finch. According to the Limo Company, that particular car had picked up 7 passengers at Kennedy airport and driven them to the address listed below. Excellent! According to the latest data, the occupants of that address were one Elizabeth (Buffy) Giles, age 28, Dawn Alice Summers, age 23, and Emily Joyce Giles, age 6. Buffy _Giles?_ Riley chortled, why Rupert, you dirty old dog! And Xander hadn't said one word about it! Incredible. Ah, but Buffy had a daughter. As soon as the plane landed and he could use his cel phone, he would call Finch. He had a plan.

The alarm went off, shaking Buffy out of a not very pleasant dream. Something about Riley and Dru, but too fuzzy and indistinct to recall. She was totally exhausted. Last night, after leaving John's, the party had moved to Xander's hotel room. Only the original gang, since Winnie, Tina and Priscilla had gone home from the restaurant. Buffy hadn't slept the night before, but she had missed her friends so much, she wanted to keep talking, and the visitors were on California time, so for them the night was young. The kids had gone to sleep, but the gang had kept talking late into the night, reminiscing about the good/bad old days in Sunnydale. When Buffy found herself dozing in the middle of a sentence, they decided it was time to leave. Carrying a sleeping Emily, Buffy, Dawn and William had come home, and Buffy had climbed into bed, falling asleep as soon as she hit the pillow. Surely that had only been five minutes ago. It couldn't be time to get Emily up for school, could it? William stirred beside her. "Love, do you want me to get Emily ready for school?"

"Oh, William, that would be wonderful. I just wish that you could bring her to school, too."

"Can't do that. But, does she have to go, pet? It _is _Friday. And next week she has off."

"She'd better go, William. She's going to miss a week as it is, and I still have so much to do today. I just need to sleep a few more minutes." 

A little while later, Buffy woke up feeling much better, but wondering what had happened with Emily. William came in with the answer. "Dawn brought Emily to school, love. I figured we never really got a chance to finish making up. You were pretty dead to the world when we got home." He took off his pants and got back into bed.

Buffy shook her head. "William, I'd love to, but the school is only five blocks away."

William gave her that smile that always melted her, "I gave her a few bucks and told her to go to Starbucks. Told her not to come back before ten."

Buffy laughed, "Oh William, you are a devil. I love you." She pulled him close.

Dawn and Emily walked towards Emily's school. The sun was out for a change and the air was cold and crisp. Emily was chattering excitedly about being a flower girl, and the pretty dress she would wear tonight. Dawn was listening with half an ear, but was also wondering what it would be like having William as a brother-in-law, and whether or not Jason was the commitment type. She looked up to see a policeman in front of them. "Excuse me," he said, "Are you Dawn Summers?"

My God, Dawn thought. What has happened? "Yes, I am. What's this about, Officer?" 

He knelt down in front of Emily, "And that means you must be Emily, is that right?"

"Officer.." Dawn began, but the policeman suddenly swept Emily up into his arms and pointed a gun at her. He smiled menacingly, "Get into that car or the kid gets hurt."

He gestured to a green sedan parked at the curb. Dawn, horrified, hastened to obey. What was this all about? Could this be some kind of key thing? Nobody had been interested in her keyness in seven years, and she had almost forgotten about it. "Look, Mister, please take me and let my niece go. She can't help you. Please." 

The officer shook his head. "Nope, no can do. Both of you…get in."

He pushed Dawn into the driver's seat, and made Emily, who was too terrified and confused to even cry, get into the backseat. He then nudged Dawn with the gun, moving her into the passenger seat and got into the driver's seat himself. Still holding the gun on Dawn with one hand, he turned the key in the ignition and pulled out. Dawn looked around, hoping for witnesses, who would tell Buffy what happened, but the residential street was quiet, and she didn't see anybody. She leaned forward to see the officer's name badge. Jablonsky. 

She ventured once again to find out what this was all about. "Officer Jablonsky, _please _tell me what this is all about."

He laughed, but kept the gun firmly planted in Dawn's direction. "Jablonsky? Sorry kid, this uniform ain't mine. I kind of borrowed it from a friend. My name is Finch. Pleased to meetcha."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Buffy was just contemplating getting out of bed, when the telephone rang. She reached over William to answer it, assuming that it was Willow or Xander about today's plans. Instead, it was Mrs. Hernandez, the Secretary of Emily's school. Had she perhaps forgotten to notify the school that Emily would be absent today? Was she sick? Buffy was confused. "There must be some mistake. I sent Emily to school this morning with her aunt...my sister. She must be there. Please check again. I'll ask Dawn."

Buffy got up and threw on some clothes. She hadn't heard Dawn come in, but she and William had both fallen back to sleep after making love, so Dawn could be here or anywhere. Could she have taken Emily out for ice cream or to the park or something, as kind of a wedding day treat? It was possible. But not very likely. Dawn knew how overprotective Buffy could be, and wouldn't risk her sister's wrath. She was putting on her boots, when William woke up. "What's up, love? You going out?"

Buffy tried to stay calm but her trouble alarms were going off in her slayer's brain. "William, it might be nothing. But Emily never got to school this morning. If I don't find Dawn here in the house, I'm going to walk to the school, and check out the route. It's only five blocks away. What could have happened to them in five blocks?" At William's look, she added, "In broad daylight?"

Buffy ran quickly through the house, the little 3-bedroom brownstone she had bought with Giles' CoW pension and Insurance money. Unless Dawn was hiding under the stairs, she wasn't home. She was zipping up her parka when she stopped in the bedroom, to find William dressed already. "Dawn's not back either. You wait here in case the school calls back. They might have just misplaced her, or miscounted, or something.." That sounded lame even to her. It was a very good private school…they didn't misplace students. 

"Don't have much choice, do I love?" William said bitterly. He wanted to help, but he couldn't go outside. So he got to sit by the phone.

Buffy walked slowly down the familiar route to Emily's school. She looked in every direction for some clue that might lead her to her sister and daughter. She got all the way to the school without seeing anything out of the ordinary. At the school, she met with Mrs. Franklin, the principal, and Ms St. Claire, Emily's first grade teacher. Emily was much happier in First Grade then she had been in kindergarten, because Ms St. Claire had been a lot more accepting of Emily's rather unconventional lifestyle. She actually knew the truth about William, and scheduled parent teacher conferences in the evenings. Unfortunately, today they had no good news for Buffy. Emily had not shown up at school, and none of her friends had seen her.

Buffy walked slowly home, looking again for any clue she might have overlooked. A voice from over her head called out, "Yoo hoo, Dear!"

Buffy looked up. Elderly Mrs. Montgomery, who usually walked her Bichon Frise in the afternoons when Buffy and Emily were walking home, was waving from her upstairs window. "Dear, whatever happened to your dear little girl?"

Buffy's heart was in her throat. "What do you mean?"

"Why she and your sister went off with that Policeman this morning. I hope that they aren't in some kind of trouble."

Heart pounding, Buffy ran up the stairs and knocked loudly on her neighbor's door. But Mrs. Montgomery could only tell her that Emily and Dawn had gotten into a green car, which wasn't a police car. Her eyesight was none too good, and she couldn't see if the girls were upset or if the policeman had used force or a weapon of any kind. As Buffy left, she called out, "I do hope everything is all right, dear." 

Back home, William phoned the police station to ask if the girls had been brought in, by some chance and Buffy used her portable phone to phone the gang, both old and new. It was time to do summon the troops and do some brain storming.

Dawn looked around and tried to assess her situation. They were in a large damp basement, which looked filthy and smelled worse. A rusted out boiler stood in one corner, and an ancient washer and drier looked as though they hadn't worked in years. The building above it had looked condemned, with the doors and windows boarded over to keep out the crack addicts and worse. Fortunately the only other residents of this basement seemed to be of the vermin persuasion, spiders and rats who went about their usual business regardless of the strange new visitors.

Dawn was tied quite thoroughly to a wooden kitchen chair. It might have been old, but it felt very sturdy, no chance of jogging it to pieces.. There had been a gag in her mouth until a very convincing attack of asthma had convinced Finch to remove it. She still wheezed occasionally, to keep up the act. Thank heavens for acting school. 

Emily had fared a little better. Finch had been concerned about hurting her and had merely handcuffed her to a large pipe. The cuff was too big for her little wrist, so Finch had put it around her ankle instead. This way Emily could stand or sit, and she had her hands free. She sat still, knees up, close to the pipe, in a state of shock, Dawn guessed. 

On the way here, Finch had made no effort to prevent Dawn from seeing which way they were travelling, which probably wasn't a good sign. And he had told her his name…another bad sign. On the other hand, aside from the fact that he had kidnapped them, he had treated them very well. For the moment he was gone, but she knew that he, or someone worse, could come back any second. She was tied tightly to the chair...the ropes were not uncomfortable, except for the horrible feeling of not being able to move. Still, she wondered, if she played her asthma card again, maybe she could get them loosened up. 

There was one window, crusted with dirt. It was across the basement, from Dawn, light years away. Oh for a little bit of Buffy's slayer strength! Suddenly Finch was back in the room, carrying a brown grocery bag. "You okay?" He asked Dawn.

Dawn nodded, but gave a subtle wheeze. Finch reached into the grocery bag and pulled out an over the counter asthma inhaler. "I know this isn't prescription, but it should help if you have another attack." 

Great, thought Dawn. So much for playing that asthma card again. She smiled at Finch with phony gratitude. 

"Listen," he said," I got one job here. To keep you both alive and well until tonight."

"T-tonight?" Emily burst into uncontrollable sobbing.

"What did I say?"

"She's supposed to be in a wedding tonight." Dawn said, "I am too, as a matter of fact. We will be missed."

Finch was looking at Emily with concern. He reached into his bag and pulled out a juice box. He handed it to her.

"Emily! Don't drink anything he gives you! "Dawn hissed. 

"Hey!" Finch looked insulted, "It's sealed, look!" he thrust the box in front of Dawn. "You think I would hurt a kid? The sugar. It calms 'em down. Usually I give crying kids a lollipop." At Dawn's nod, he gave the box back to Emily.

"So what are you when you're not pretending to be a cop? Bozo the clown?"

"Hey, I _am_ a cop. I'm just not NYPD…that's why I had to borrow the uniform. I work in DC. I'm on vacation this week. Anyway...I may not be a great cop, but I never hurt a kid in my life. Riley assured me that…"

"Riley? You work for Riley Finn?"

"Well, sure. What did you think?"

"I didn't know what to think. You haven't exactly been the answer man, here. Okay, so let me get this straight. You're holding us to lure my sister here?"

"Yeah, pretty much. He wants to talk to her." 

"He never heard of a telephone? Oh this is a great plan! I mean, if it didn't work for Harmony, the world's greatest vampire mastermind, what makes Riley think it will work for him?"

"Huh?"

"Been there, done that. Never mind. What makes you think Riley won't hurt us?"

"He assured me. I have the utmost respect for Riley."

"You do know that he's a vampire, right? One of the bad guys?"

Finch looked uncomfortable.

Dawn continued, "How much money could he possible be paying you to make you work for him?"

Finch bristled, "I don't help Riley out for money! He and the others, they aren't such bad guys. Honest. "

Others? "Yeah.. I'm sure he's a regular Boy Scout."

Finch had become rather agitated, and was pacing back and forth, clearly uncomfortable about what he was doing. He was a hefty man, with grayish hair and a pleasant face. Dawn noticed that the borrowed uniform shirt was too tight for him in the neck, and it strained against his potbelly. Finally he opened the collar of his shirt to relieve the strain. As he bent down to check on Emily, Dawn could see a fresh bandage on his neck. No wonder his collar had been chafing him. And no wonder he worked for vampires for free. Dawn had no doubt that his arms were also full of interesting scars.

By the time the gang assembled at Buffy's house, she was frantic. The police had no record of Dawn and Emily; neither did the hospitals, or God forbid, the morgues. William had spent the entire morning on the telephone, desperate to help the best way he could.

"I'm sure this is related to Riley, somehow," said Xander.

"But this guy was obviously human. He took them in broad daylight."

"Riley must have human minions," concluded William.

"It's been known to happen." muttered Xander, "Hey, he must be in thrall to Riley!" 

"Sorry, Renfield. But no way is Riley strong enough for that sort of thing. Mind control is a gift. Very few vamps have it and it develops with age. I've only known two vamps who could do it…your friend, Dracula, and Drusilla. Probably how she got to Riley in the first place."

Willow spoke up. "Tara and I could do a locator spell."

"Oh...can I help?" Winnie pleaded, "I have a whole lot of myrtle essence. I use it on my hair."

"Oh...so that's how you get it that…interesting color." Willow smiled politely. She wasn't sure that she wanted this very odd girl helping her with spells. 

"I know I'm not a very good witch," Winnie admitted, "but I'm a terrific psychic. I really can help."

Willow and Tara exchanged glances. Tara spoke up. "We'd be glad to have your help Winnie. Maybe you could get a reading on Dawn and Emily right now." 

"Well, they're alive…I can tell you that." A wave of relief swept the room. Winnie was holding one of Emily's frogs in one hand, and a favorite scarf of Dawn's in the other. "I see a washing machine. Oh…and a dryer."

"Well, that narrows it down to just about every apartment basement in New York," said Xander aching with frustration.

"What can I do?" asked Tina.

At that point the phone rang. 

Buffy grabbed it. She listened and her face grew pale. "That late? Can't we do it sooner?…Well okay, but can I speak to Emily?" she asked calmly. "Hi honey. Are you all right? Don't cry, sweetie…I'll be coming to get you as soon as I can. Is Dawn all right?…Yes, baby he's right here…. No don't worry we won't have the wedding without you! What? ….okay. Listen, whoever you are. Please don't hurt them. I'll be there; I'll do whatever you want. Listen, if you're human, please…" She looked up. "He hung up." Buffy started to cry for the first time that day. William came over and took her in his arms. He held her while she sobbed. 

  



	9. Chapter 9

"So what's the plan

Chapter 9

"So what's the plan?" Xander asked, when Buffy had calmed down a bit.

"It's the same old, same old. Riley wants me to come alone." Buffy answered, "But the good news is that the girls seem to be safe. I didn't talk to Dawn, but Emily said she was okay." Buffy gave a rueful laugh, "Emily was mostly worried about missing the wedding."

"Do we have the address? We could go in early and take them by surprise, "said Tina, obviously eager for action.

"They obviously thought of that. The guy I talked to didn't give me an address. He said he will call again right before we are to leave."

"But we can still do a locator spell and find them right now." said Willow.

"No." Buffy said firmly. "We have no idea how many people are holding them. We only know that the guy who took them was human. Riley could have a whole army of vampires over there. If we go charging in half cocked, they could just kill the girls before we could get to them."

"So he wants to talk to you alone, eh?" William asked.

"Yeah…your basic Harmony 101 plan. I would have expected better from Riley somehow."

"Hey," said William, insulted, "I'll have you know that was a perfectly good plan! I gave Harmony that plan myself. Would have worked too, if she hadn't been too bloody stupid to control her minions!"

"And this is helping, how?"

"Uh, sorry, love. Obviously I'm glad she didn't succeed." William said hastily, then muttered, under his breath, "but no reason to blame the _plan_!"

"So, Mr. Dead and Loving it, can you come up with an equally brilliant plan to counteract this one?" Xander asked sarcastically.

"Matter of fact, I can. But I'll need transport. I can't rely on cabs and the train is too slow."

"I have a car." The voice was that of Pricilla Scott. "I will be willing to transport you wherever you need to go."

"How big is your trunk?" William asked. "We have to leave before the sun sets. Oh, and ladies...I'm going to need that locator spell. Just to know where to meet up with you later."

He explained his plan, and Willow and Tara contributed some ideas of their own. The Wiccas performed the locator spell, using the map of New York that Buffy kept around just in case. William got up and gathered a bag of demon restraints and weapons including a cattle prod that had come in fairly handy in the past year. William grabbed his jacket.

"Hey Norm Abrams, want to come with me? You're looking way too fat and prosperous these days. I think you need some action!"

"You need a master carpenter?"

William looked toward Priscilla Scott who was putting on her coat and boots. He whispered, "Nah...I need a referee!" then louder he said, "Could use your help, Xander. And so far, as Best Man, you've really been falling down on the job. I mean I didn't even get a proper bachelor party, no girls jumpin' out of cakes, nothin'!"

Xander looked at Anya, who hesitated and then reluctantly nodded. "Sure Spi-William. Count me in!"

The longest afternoon of Dawn's life dragged on interminably. Finch had brought Emily books and a puzzle to keep her occupied, plus Dawn told her stories, but the time crawled by. Some time after noon, Dawn guessed, Finch had been joined by two men in military fatigues. One was cute, with a blonde crew cut. He looked a bit like Matt Damon, she thought. The other was a tall, fastidious looking black man who looked around the sordid room with disgust. Dawn imagined that in full uniform, he would look like a Marine-recruiting poster. Were they humans or vampires, Dawn wondered? The blond one came over and looked her over, licking his lips, as if she were a roast beef hero with extra mayo. Okay...so that answered _that _question. The black man glared at him, and he backed off. Clearly, they had strict orders not to touch the merchandise. The blond guy gave Dawn the creeps, but the other one fascinated her. He must really hate being a vampire, surmised Dawn. It's so…messy. And vampires were always hanging around in grungy crypts and places like this. Obviously, Riley had recruited a much better class of minions than Harmony had. This thought did not bring her comfort. As the afternoon wore on, Finch suddenly left, leaving Emily and Dawn with the two vampires. She was nervous at first, but they mostly just ignored her, and sat and played gin on a couple of overturned crates.

Riley was in a foul mood. He waited impatiently outside the terminal for Finch to pick him up. The sun had set moments before. Finally! If he never saw another frigging airport, it would be too soon. He climbed into the car. Finch reported on the status of his guests, and about his phone call to Buffy. "Good. At least something is going right. Remind me never to fly across country again!"

"Well, it could be worse, sir. It could be summer."

Riley snorted, "Finch…do you always have to look on the bright side? It's very annoying."

"Sorry sir."

As they pulled up to the condemned building, Riley exploded, "_This is it?_ This is the great hideout you found? This place is a dump!"

Finch sputtered, "R-Riley…do you have any idea how valuable the real estate is in this town? They just don't have abandoned warehouses lying around, and you said no hotel rooms. Listen...I was lucky to get this. The guys had to clean out a whole nest of skells that were squatting here."

"Terrific. Just the place guaranteed to impress my old girlfriend. I told you this was a reunion, right?"

"We could move, sir. I didn't tell her the address yet."

Riley thought about it. The place was awful. Just the kind of squalid place that she would expect from a vampire. But it was too late, now. Finding a new place would take time, and he just wanted to get this whole thing over with. Besides, who cared what the bitch thought? Before too long, she would be too dead to criticize. 

"No, Finch. We'll make do. Make the phone call." He said, and entered the basement. The inside was as bad as he had imagined from the outside. He looked at his prisoners.

"Hey Dawn. Look at you. All grown up," Riley said jovially as he stood over the trussed up girl. 

"Hey Riley. You haven't changed a bit. " Dawn answered, her voice heavy with irony. " I have to compliment you on your lair. Real classy. Never expect to find a vampire _here,_ oh no."

Riley's smile faded, "Finch, why isn't she gagged?"

"Asthma, sir. She couldn't breathe."

"Asthma, huh? I see. And what have we got here?" He looked down at Emily, who had fallen asleep against the pipe. Buffy's little girl. He turned to Dawn, "So your sister really married that old goat, huh? She must have been pretty desperate. I guess not every guy was as tolerant of all that Slayer shit as I was, huh?"

Dawn looked up, "Finch, why isn't he gagged?"

Hmmph, thought Dawn, as Riley tightened the gag around the back of her head, that whole wisecracks in the face of danger thing always seems to work for _Buffy! _She looked pleadingly at Finch, but he just shrugged. No mutiny here.

Drusilla stretched like a cat and looked out the window at the gathering dusk. She sighed, happily and did a little pirouette around the room. This was her favorite time of day; the humans were so…unwary. They didn't think that the beasties came out until dark. Drusilla picked up her favorite doll, and kissed its painted bow mouth. "Miss Edith, my sweetie, mummy has to go out and find some special treats for tea. You be a good girl now, and mummy will bring you back something special."

Miss Edith was dressed in a beautiful Victorian gown, but she was also wearing an odd assortment of oversized necklaces, draped around her neck. "Maybe we'll bring you back some pretty pearls tonight, but only if you're good."

She kissed the doll again, and slipped out into the gloom. She looked around the quiet residential street, where she rented a room. She usually didn't hunt close to home, but she would be leaving soon, so it didn't matter. She had waited and waited for Spike to grow tired of the Slayer and come to her, but now it was time to move on.

An elderly woman was making her way down the street, assisted by a walking stick. Oh the poor old thing, thought Drusilla, so frail and so alone. It quite makes my heart go pitty pat. What's that, Miss Edith? Would you like her to be your new Granny? Dru approached the woman. She put on her best pathetic look, "Please excuse me, kind lady. I'm terribly lost."

The woman looked at her and smiled, such a trusting soul. Drusilla put her hand on the woman's shoulder, and looked her in the eye. "Can I come home with you?" she whispered.

Suddenly from behind the parked cars came two figures. Moving incredibly fast, before she could even react, one had slipped a cord of some kind around her, pinning her arms to her side. She tried to break free, but the cord had a metallic core and was as strong as iron. She hissed like a snake, and tried to bite her attackers, but they wrestled her to the ground. She looked up at the old woman, who was removing a grey wig, and who suddenly wasn't old anymore, but merely middle aged. More cords were being wrapped around her, and as they rolled her over, she could at last see her attackers. 

"Spike," she cried, "My darling boy…you came back!"

"Sorry, Love." William touched her with the cattle prod and she knew no more.

"Hey lady…are you sure you wanna get out here?" The cab driver said dubiously.

Buffy looked at the boarded up building. "Unfortunately, yes." She paid the man, and gave him a generous tip. "Could you come back here for me in, say, forty-five minutes? I'll pay you double."

"Sure thing lady. It's your funeral." He drove off. Buffy sighed. Been there, done that, she thought as she walked towards the basement entrance. There she was met by a policeman, human, according to her slayer sense. He must be the kidnapper. 

"Sorry. But I've got to frisk you." He said apologetically. 

"I wouldn't expect anything else." Buffy said coldly, as he frisked her rapidly and efficiently. "I knew it was pointless to bring any stakes with me. Pointless, get it? Now bring me to my daughter!"

There was a Marine posted at the door. He was armed with a rifle and sword, and stood watching the street to make sure that Buffy had come alone. As she passed him Buffy looked him over and remarked, "You really should find a better boss. You are way too classy for this operation."

Washington smiled after her as she went in. 

Buffy entered the basement. Directly in front of her were some overturned crates, which she kicked aside. The light from the bare light bulb overhead cast strange shadows, but Buffy could see Dawn and Emily over in the corner…Emily against the wall, near a pipe, and Dawn tied to a chair. Directly ahead of her were an old washer and dryer, as in Winnie's vision. Riley was sitting on the washing machine. There was one more person in the room…a young soldier who looked a bit like Matt Damon. He was standing between her and the prisoners.

Buffy looked at Dawn and Emily longingly, but the soldier moved to block her way. Emily cried out when she saw her mother, but Dawn shook her head violently at her to warn her to be quiet, and the little girl obeyed. Buffy approached the washing machine. 

"Riley."

"Buffy."

"You know…we could have done this on the phone, saved you all this trouble. I'll tell you what you want to know, no problem. Drusilla, bless her heart, is at Creedmore. Have you ever heard of it? No? It's a…pleasant place, I hear, upstate. I believe the visiting hours are from 1-3 on Sundays. Let the girls go, now." 

"Still a wiseass, aren't you?"

"If you remember that about me, you should also remember that I don't take this sort of thing well. What do you want, Riley?"

"I want you, Buffy. In exchange for the girls. Simple, right?"

"I'm flattered, Riley, really, after all these years. But wouldn't flowers have been a bit more romantic?"

"You know, Officer Finch here is a bit of a softy when it comes to kids, but Burke, here? Not so much." Burke went over to Emily and grabbed her hand to pull her up."

"Wait!" Said, Buffy, "Let them go. I'll do what you want…after they are free."

"Good." Riley nodded to Burke, who started to untie Dawn.

Finch went over to help free the girls. He led Emily and Dawn over to the far corner of the basement.

"I said free!" Said Buffy. "That's not free."

"Haven't got _you_ yet," said Riley. Burke came over to Buffy with the handcuffs that had been on Emily. 

Buffy obediently stuck her hands out in front of her, stealing a glance at her watch.

"Behind you." Said Burke.

Buffy sighed and turned around, her hands behind her back. Burke snapped on the cuffs, and shoved Buffy over towards Riley. 

At that moment there was a commotion, outside the door. Burke and Finch both headed towards the noise, when the door was flung open, and a figure strode into the basement. Riley hopped down off the washer in astonishment.

"Who the hell are you, and how did you get in here! Wait! Aren't you…Spike? What the hell happened to your hair?"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Pleased to see you again too, mate. So, how's the Unlife of Riley?" At the blank looks, he continued, "C'mon, folks…TV series from the fifties? With William Bendix? Gah…you are all so bloody young!"

"How did you get in here?" Riley demanded.

"Oh…that guard of yours outside? Very impressive. But I'm afraid he won't pass his next inspection. He's all dusty."

"You killed one of my men," Riley said, eyes blazing, "Buffy, this breaks the rules. Finch, bring me the kid."

Finch looked unhappy, but drew his gun and pointing it at Dawn, took Emily by the hand. 

William interrupted, "Wait a minute here, mate. I know we've got off on the wrong foot here, but I've brought you a gift…to more than make up for that guard there." 

He signaled and Xander came in pushing Drusilla in front of him. "Heard you were looking for this." he said.

Drusilla took one look at Riley and started to laugh. "Oh, Spike," she said, 'this game gets better all the time. So many players. Will there be a prizes?"

"Drusilla." Said Riley. "Baby. What have they done to you? Let her go, Spike!"

"Sure," said William, "In exchange for Buffy and the girls. Simple."

Riley shook his head sadly, "Spike. I can't believe that you are still chasing after the Slayer. That is so pathetic."

"Whereas, that slobbering that you're doing over Drusilla is the height of macho. Buffy, love, haven't you told him?"

"Sorry, honey. The topic just never came up. As a matter of fact, William and I are getting married in about an hour, so could we hurry up this exchange?"

"What? Have you lost your friggin mind? You turned me down and married an old man, and now _Him_?"

"Uh…Riley. I didn't turn you down. You _left_. Did you really think I was going to sit around waiting for my, what did you call him William? _Captain Cardboard _to return? And that old man, as you call him, was twice the man you were, and so is William."

"Captain Cardboard!" giggled Drusilla. "Oh so clever, my Spike. But so very sad…you and the slayer. You will never survive her, my Spike; the fireflies have told me so." 

"You can't have the Slayer." Riley said, "she's my gift for Drusilla. All for you, baby." He put his hand on Buffy's shoulder.

William whipped out a stake and had it at Drusilla's heart. "She won't appreciate it much, as a pile of dust, mate. If you want her in one piece, best let my girls go." 

Angrily, Riley pushed Buffy towards William, who in turn led Drusilla over to him. Xander chose that moment to back out slowly, until he was out the door. He had memorized the layout of the basement, and had another job to do. 

"Spike," she cried out plaintively, "Do I have to go with him? He's no fun at all. Miss Edith doesn't care for him one bit."

"Dru, you'll feel differently once we get you all untied and back home, honey." He started undoing Drusilla's restraints. Buffy took advantage of his inattention to signal to Dawn and Emily to try and get out.

They looked at Finch, who nodded. Dawn grabbed Emily and started backing towards the exit. 

Riley looked up to see two of his hostages heading for the door. "Finch!" He roared, "Go after them!"

"Don't think so boss. I don't hurt kids. Told you that!"

"Finch. You've been a DC cop for what, 22 years? Only a few more years before that pension kicks in. Tell me, how would your _job_ feel about what you do with vampires in your spare time? The whole gay thing might not be a problem…I mean we've all learned to live with _that_, especially Burke, here. But the vampire addiction? I just don't know."

Finch stared at Riley, and then went and got the girls and brought them back. "Sorry," He said to them sadly.

"Nobody leaves until I say so." Riley announced. 

"Is that so? " said William, " I guess you'll just have to stop us then." He and Buffy headed towards the girls.

"Burke! Finch! Stop them!"

Buffy snapped her handcuffs easily and went after Finch, while William attacked Burke. Dawn grabbed Emily and ran for the door. Riley left Drusilla and started after them. 

At that moment there was a bright flash of light behind Riley. He turned around and there, crouching on the washer was a young girl, brandishing a stake. She stood up and her head bumped the ceiling, "Ow!" she said.

"Wha…"

"Two slayers, no waiting!" Tina sang out as she leapt off the washer at Riley. He vamped out and they began to fight. Dru threw off the rest of her restraints and joined in. 

In spite of his training, Burke was no match for William and his stake. He exploded into dust. Buffy had a more difficult time with Finch. It would have been easy to kill him, but she didn't want to do that. He wasn't so much evil as weak. And he was human. So she twisted his arm behind him, breaking it, and shoved him, a pitiful crying wreck, into the corner. William tossed Buffy a stake, which she caught deftly, and they went to help Tina who was holding her own against Dru and Riley.

William grabbed Dru and pulled her off Tina. She turned to him with pleading in her eyes. Dru had mastered the art of looking helpless and pathetic when it would suit her purpose. The only problem was that William knew her act and was no longer moved by it. Pity over her helplessness had kept him tied to her for over a century, while she did as she pleased. Now he was in love with a woman who didn't play such games. He raised his stake to plunge it into her heart. And couldn't do it.

"Tina!" he cried. She turned to him, and he pushed Drusilla at her, "You take her."

He turned away. Dru looked sadly at Tina, who plunged the stake into her heart. Drusilla, insane scourge of Europe, California, and South America, exploded into dust. 

"Druuuu!" Screamed Riley. In grief and fury he lunged at Buffy with extra strength. 

"I'm sorry Riley." Buffy said, and dusted him.

She found William over by the door, staring out into space, tears in his eyes. "It's all over, William."

"I'm sorry, Buffy. I couldn't do it. I knew it had to be done but I just couldn't do it."

"It's okay, William. I understand how you felt about her. And I kinda like the fact that you couldn't kill her. Things like this shouldn't be easy." She put her arms around him and they stood like that for a moment.

Tina was over assisting Finch, helping him up. Buffy went over to him. "We'll call an ambulance. Too bad you fell down that flight of stairs. Oh, and If I were you, I'd lose the NYPD uniform before they come." William, Tina and Buffy left the basement.

The cab was waiting out front. Priscilla Scott had paid him generously to remain, since there wasn't enough room in her car for everyone. Buffy ran to her daughter and swept her into her arms, "Oh Emily, my darling. You were so brave! The bad men are all gone."

"Dawn told me not to talk so I didn't, Mommy. Will we be late for the wedding?"

"Oh…we'd better hurry, hadn't we?" She hugged Dawn and thanked her for her courage under fire. She gave a quick hug to Willow and Tara who had transported Tina into the basement, with help from Xander who gave them the layout, and to Winnie who used her psychic ability to tell them when the time was right. They crammed themselves into the two cars and sped off for home and hotel.

On the way, Buffy phoned Anya at the hotel and told her what happened and asked her to phone the judge and postpone the wedding for an hour. 'We had some last minute objections," said Buffy, "but now I think all systems are go." To William she said, as they huddled in the back seat of the cab with Emily and Dawn, "You know, Riley was pretty smart, but he forgot two important things about me. One...I never play by the rules, and two…_never_ mess with my girls!"

William added, "And never try to hold a slayer with handcuffs…unless she wants you to, of course." Buffy shushed him with a laugh and they rode back home in companionable silence.

Epilogue

The wedding party made for a rather large crowd in Judge Frieberg's office. He was an old friend of Buffy's late Father and she had looked him up when she first moved to New York. He had been delighted to be asked to perform the ceremony.

Emily had been very disappointed to see that her mother wasn't going to be decked out like her Barbie, in a long white dress and veil, but rather a pretty ivory silk dress. She was mollified though with her own lace trimmed burgundy velvet, and a bouquet of flowers of her very own. Willow wore a green velvet dress, as Buffy's "matron" of honor. William wore his navy Armani suit and Xander was also in a blue suit, only somehow his looked slightly slept in. Everyone else was dressed up in his or her own version of appropriate, from Winnie's bright chartreuse whatever, to Anya's stunning black silk suit.

William's friend Spike from the bar did not show up, nor was his presence missed.

While they were standing around waiting for the Judge to put on his robes, Anya asked Buffy, "So, did you two write your own vows like Xander and I did?"

"Y'know, we kinda put that off until today, and…well…" She shrugged helplessly, "Besides, I don't think I could ever have topped yours Anya, all 20 minutes of them. I was embarrassed to even try. So I guess we will just go for the basics." Anya smiled, understandingly.

The judge came in and assembled the wedding party and guests. He began, "Dear friends, we are gathered here this evening…"

When he came to the part about, "If anybody here present feels that these two people should not be joined, let him speak now or forever hold his peace" there was a slight pause. But if the ghosts of Riley and Drusilla or even Giles were present, they were silent. The judge continued. 

There was only one minor interruption. When Judge Frieberg asked, "Do you William Atherton take Buffy Giles…" Xander burst out, "You have a last name!"

"Of _course _I have a last name, you ninny!" William replied.

"Whew…I was sure we were going to end up with Buffy the Bloody!"

Everyone laughed, until the Judge said, "Do you mind if I continue?"

Looking into each other's eyes, William and Buffy repeated the vows. William recalled Dru's words to him, that he would never survive Buffy. Was she being prophetic or spiteful? Either way, it was okay with William. He had survived Buffy once, and that had been hell. He wouldn't do it again. So the words, "Till death do us part" held no fear for him.

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss…well, never mind," he smiled, since they had begun kissing at the word 'wife.'

William looked into he eyes of the woman for whom he had waited nine years. He had had to reinvent himself to deserve her but it was worth it. He looked at her pretty face, still young and unlined, and suddenly had a vision of her, years hence with wrinkles and gray hair, holding Emily's children and grandchildren. He couldn't wait. 

The End

__


End file.
